"Hey, y'all as hungry as I am?" She asked, smiling at the surprised looks on both their faces.
Taker's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, eliciting laughter from all three.
"Well, I guess that answers that!" Judy said, grinning as she sat her coffee cup down, and opened the fridge. Within minutes, breakfast was ready, the table was set, and they were sitting down to enjoy a peaceful morning meal.
Sometime later, Taker had made several phone calls. The first one being to his attorney.
"No matter what you may have heard, I have NOT been kidnapped. I needed rest, some time off, and they wouldn't allow it. So I took matters into my own hands. At whatever the cost, I do not want these ladies to be blamed for any of this. No blame or hint of blame is to touch them. They only did what I asked them to do. Now, there are two other things I need you to check into for me.." Taker explained what he wanted done. "Oh, call the WWF and let them know I'll be back before the pay-per-view. " He said just before hanging up.
Later on in the day, the three decided to go fishing. Taker walked a little ways off from the two women. As they settled down, Kaliegh looked at Judy in amazement as she not only baited her own hook, but expertly cast out the line.
"I didn't know you liked fishing!" Kaliegh said looking over at her friend. Judy only smiled.
They were sitting on the bank of the stream behind the house. Poles in hand, lines in the water. It was a beautiful, clear day. Perfect for fishing. The sun was out, the sky was beautiful and blue, with a gentle breeze blowing softly through the trees. Judy lay her pole down and stretched to get the kinks out, then lay back on the grassy bank. Breathing in the fragrant smell of the sun warmed grass, listening to the droning of the insects, she knew it couldn't get any better than this. She couldn't prevent the sigh of satisfaction from escaping her lips anymore than she could stop breathing.
Taker was downstream a ways from them, and had caught four by the time they finally caught their first. They laughed, shouted good natured insults back and forth, and after a while decided to call it a day. All three had gotten a little too much sun from their afternoon outing.
While Taker cleaned the catfish they'd caught, Kaliegh and Judy started on the rest of the supper. While Kaliegh mixed up the corn meal mixture for hushpuppies, Judy put on a pot of beans that had been soaking all morning. To these, she added a country ham hock. Adjusting the heat under the pot of beans so that they would cook slowly, she then put on a pot of tea. Kaliegh added the chopped onion to the mixture , stirring it in , then dropped the mixture by the spoonful into a pan of hot oil. Judy was slicing onion when Taker came in through the glass doors, carrying a bowl of filets, ready to batter and fry.
Nodding her head, acknowledging the compliment, she had a small smile on her lips as she replied. "My mother taught me how to cook. She always said beans were the hardest thing to cook right." She was cutting up lemons and kept her head down, pleased with his compliment.
"Oh shit!" Kaliegh cursed sharply. Hot oil splattered out, burning her hand. "Damn hushpuppies! Why do we have to have small round chunks of corn bread to eat with fish?" Kaliegh muttered under her breath as she ran cold water on her hand.
Judy and Taker both laughed good-naturedly at her outburst. Judy casually walked over to the skillet of hushpuppies, and took them out, placing them on a paper towel lined platter. That done, she dropped some more in the skillet. Grinning at the two of them, she suggested Kaliegh and Taker go out to the deck until supper was ready.
"Not till I set the table at least." Kaliegh said crossly, still pissed about being burned. Judy agreed, laughing at the cross tone, as she checked the hushpuppies.
Taker washed up, then got a beer out of the fridge and went out to sit on the deck. Kaliegh joined him there and they enjoyed the last of the late afternoon sun, talking and joking with each other. Shortly, Judy stuck her head out the door and told them supper was ready.
A large glass of iced tea sat by each plate. The pot of beans, the platter of hushpuppies, a platter of golden brown fish, a small bowl of sliced onion,and one of lemon wedges graced the table.
"Damn! Just looking at this makes my mouth water!" Kaliegh said, eyeing the table as she pulled out a chair to sit down.
"This looks delicious." Taker said smiling as he sat down across from Kaliegh.
"I have a Lazy Man's Peach cobbler for dessert if anyone's interested." Judy said casually as she sat down to eat.
"You cooked all this, so quickly?" Taker said as both he and Kaliegh looked at Judy in surprise.
"It's nothing! Really!" Judy said , a little embarrassed by their reaction to the meal. "Let's eat before it gets cold!" She said as she shook out her napkin, and laid it across her lap.
Several hours later, long after they had all turned in for the night, Judy awoke after a particularly bad dream, and went into the kitchen for something to drink. Looking in the fridge, and not finding what she wanted, she decided on a cup of hot chocolate instead. Running water through her coffee maker, she took a packet of instant out of a box she kept in the cabinet over the sink, and poured it in a cup. When the water was ready, she filled her cup, and stirred it up. Taking her cup and her cigarettes, Judy went out to the deck and sat down in one of the chairs, propping her feet up on the railing. She had turned out the lights in the kitchen when she went out to the deck and was surprised when it suddenly came back on. Not wanting to have to make small talk, she stayed outside, sipping her hot chocolate and smoking. In a few minutes, however, the glass door slid open and Taker stepped outside. He seemed surprised to find her there.
"I thought you were asleep." He said distractedly. He seemed stiffer than before, his movements more painful. He tossed a couple of pills in his mouth and washed them down with a swallow from the beer he carried out with him. He leaned against the railing, looking out at the moon lit night.
"It's beautiful. You have a little peace of heaven here, you know." He said softly. His voice had a quality in it she'd never heard before. A tightness, or tenseness....something.
She didn't reply, just drinking her hot chocolate and taking an occasional pull on her cigarette. Straightening up with some difficulty, Judy watching his stiff movements, he drained the rest of the beer, then started back inside. He was wearing a baggy pair of shorts, was barefoot and barechested.
"Taker, you listened, trying to help both Kaliegh and me. Will you trust me, allow me if you will, to try and help you?" She asked quietly.
He looked at her considering her offer, then curtly nodded his head. He slid open the door, extended his hand, indicating her to enter first. He locked the door behind him, then tossed the empty can in the trash, as she rinsed the cup out.
"Go on into the bedroom, I'll be in there in a minute." She said quietly.
"I don't think I'm up to that tonight, honey." He said sarcastically.
Giving him a disgusted look, she muttered many an unkind thing about the character and ego's of men. "In your dreams!" The look she gave him made him ashamed of what he'd said. "Go on, I'll be in there in a minute." She said, annoyed with him. Sheepishly, and more than a little ashamed of himself, he did as she said.
She found him stretched out on his side on the bed. "What were those pills you took?" She asked.
"Nothing but aspirin. Why?" He asked, taking in her appearance. She was wearing cotton pajamas, and had a bottle of something in her hand. She was also carrying a towel.
"No reason. Roll over on your stomach." She said matter of factly. Reaching over, she turned on the radio, the volume was soft and low. Country music played softly as she got everything ready. Laying the towel on the bed beside his shoulder, she got on the bed and took the top off the bottle, pouring a little of the warm, scented oil in her hand. "Will it hurt you if I straddle your hips?" she asked.
"I think I can bear it!" He said, slightly sarcastic, eyeing her curiously over his shoulder.
She straddled his hips and rubbed the oil between her hands to warm it and them. Tentively she leaned over and rubbed the oil into his massive shoulders. At her touch, he jerked even though he knew what he intended when he saw the towel, and when she told him to roll over. He couldn't prevent it. With firm, smooth strokes, she soon had his tense muscles loose and supple. Easing off him, she worked on one side then the other, rubbing and kneading his tight muscles till she felt them loosen and relax. She worked her way down the broad expanse of his back, stopping at the waist band of hisshorts.
"You'll have to remove those, for me to finish." She said casually.
He cast her a suspicious glance, then slowly stood to remove the baggy shorts. She was still kneeling on the bed, but had her eyes averted as he dropped his shorts. As she guessed, they were all he had on. Her eyes on the floor at his feet, she saw him step out of them after he'd wrapped the towel around his hips.
"Lay back down on your stomach, please, and remove the towel." Her face was hot and she could only imagine how red it was.
With a grunt he lay back down as she asked, dropping the towel on the floor as he did so. She was between him and the wall, and was seriously doubting the wisdom of this venture. With a sigh of resignation, she poured a little more oil in her hands and lifted her eyes for the first time since he laid back down. What she saw, was without a doubt, the best butt she'd ever hoped to see, on a man. Tight and firm! Her surprised gasp, brought Taker's eyes on her. He noticed her flushed cheeks and slightly trembling hands.
"You ok?" He asked, trying hard not to grin at the look on her face.
Swallowing hard, and blinking a couple of times, Judy collected her wits about her, and rubbed her hands together a few more times, then started with his left hip. She rubbed the oil into his hip and lower back, extended the motions down to his left thigh. Rubbing with firm, soothing strokes, the tension gradually ebbed away. The thigh muscle relaxed and felt loose from her attentions. She worked all the way down to his feet, then started on the other side. Sometime later, after she had finished, Judy was surprised to hear his gentle snore. Grinning to herself, she covered him with a blanket, then made her way back to her own bed.
************
The house had been tidied, dirty clothes were being washed. Kaliegh was going to go exploring the woods behind the house. There was a well worn path leading up to a bluff offering one of the most spectacular views of the little town in the valley below. Judy warned her to stay on the path or she would get lost in the densely wooded area back there. She also told her to watch out for the wild life, particularly the kind that crawled on its belly. Handing her a small pistol, Judy reminded her again to be careful.
"I wish you'd wait till I get back, or better yet, go with me. I won't be long, in fact, I'm not even going all the way into town. That little Mom & Pop grocery between here and town is as far as I'm going." Judy said, her voice light-hearted for the first time in a while.
"Naw, you go on. I'll be ok. I just need to stretch the kinks out. I'll be fine." She grinned, looking forward to the walk. "And yes, thank-you, I DO know how to use a pistol. My brother taught me to shoot a long time ago."
Judy still, made her prove that she knew how to hold and fire a weapon. Satisfied at last, she asked her friend if she needed anything from the store.
"MMM.....How about hot chocolate with marshmallows." She grinned broadly, eyes twinkling merrily, a wicked look in them.
"How bout some whipped cream instead?" Judy asked, grinning back just as wickedly. This struck them both as funny, and both women were laughing heartily when Taker finally emerged from his bedroom.
"Well good morning, sleepy head!" Kaliegh greeted him cheerfully. Judy noticed he was moving easier this morning, and didn't seem to be having any pain.
"How are you this morning?" She asked softly, watching him while he poured himself a cup of coffee.
As he lifted the coffee to his lips, he turned to face them, leaning back against the counter. His eyes, met hers over the rim of the cup, and had a mischievous sparkle in them.
"I feel great! I swear I was visited by an angel last night and she took away all my worries." He said with a grin. His hair had been combed and pulled back from his face. He was wearing the same shorts he'd had on lastnight, and Judy suspected that was all. They rode low on his hips, leaving his navel and several inches of skin exposed. A thin line of Auburn hair disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. Judy had been unaware her eyes had wandered, till she met his amused stare. Needless to say her face flamed red, and she had to look away.
"Judy's going in to do some shopping, would you care to join me in a hike?" Kaliegh asked, good naturedly, having missed the look that passed between the two.
"No, I'll stay here. I've got some phone calls to make. May be next time!" He said, taking another sip of coffee.
"You need anything from the store?" Judy asked, meeting his gaze with her own. Shaking his head no, Judy nodded, then collected her purse and keys and left the house.
Going out the back door, she entered the garage, and climbed up in the beat up old 4x4 chevy pick-up, that belonged to her. After moving up here, she had adopted the habit of the gun rack and guns. She now owned two shot guns, one of which she kept in her bedroom, a 30.06, not to mention an assortment of handguns. She had a pistol in the glovebox, and one under the driver's seat. She was prepared for what ever came her way.
Pulling into the parking lot of the small store, Judy went in to buy the few things they might need or want.The bell over the door jingled as she entered.
"Morning Mrs.Robertson. How you doing?" Judy asked the sharped eyed old woman.
"Mornin! Haven't seen you in a while. Thought you might've left these mountains." The old woman had lived there her whole life. She looked around casually, checking for other customers, then looked outside to see if anyone out of the ordinary, was out there. She didn't like strangers, specially when they were asking about home folks. Home folks she liked, and thought of as family.
Judy pushed her cart down the narrow aisles picking up another 12 pack of beer, a case of assorted sodas, juice, eggs, bread, milk, and two cans of whipped topping, smiling as she did so. Taking her groceries up to the counter, Mrs. Robertson, glanced around again, casually checking for other customers.
"Missy, there was a stranger in here asking about you and another girl. Pretty little thing, she was, with a lot of yeller hair. Asked if I knew you. Told him naw. Funny sort of man, the kind that you see through. Know what I mean. One you'd never pay attention to." the sharp old eyes never left the other woman's face. "That be all for you today, missy?" She asked, having totaled up all the items.
"No, better add a couple boxes of shot gun shells, and a couple of 45's." Judy's eyes and voice never betrayed the turmoil she felt inside.
The old woman's eyes were wise and knowing, and with a satisfied nod added the ammo to the groceries. "You need anything, help with a varmit problem, you just let me know. I know someone'll help, and keep quiet bout it."
The detective was parked in a rental car across the road from the store and had been most of the morning. He had left the car, looking like just another tourist, going hiking. The place he hid in was far enough off the trail and far enough back from the road so as not to be seen. Yet he had an excellant view of the front of the store. According to his information,one of the women lived in this area. Paul Bearer had let it slip that Taker had told him they were in the mountains of East Tennessee. The old woman in the store had lied to him about knowing the older of the two women. She was good, but he had seen the brief flicker of recognition, before she had lowered her eyes. He knew that sooner or later, the women would show up. And today he had gotten lucky.
As he watched the woman leave the store with her purchases, he casually left his place of concealment, and headed back to his car. He watched as she headed back in the direction she came from. Tossing his binoculars in the back seat, the non-descript man climbed into the driver's seat, and backed the car out and headed off in the same direction the truck had taken.
Judy carried the sacks in and put them on the table. She was not happy! Kaliegh had enjoyed her hike and had just returned, seconds before Judy. She noticed the pissed off look on Judy's face.
"What's wrong?" Kaliegh asked, suddenly very certain that trouble was about to come down.
"All hell is about to come down on our heads. We been found out!" Judy's look told the story as she took the groceries out of the bags and put them away. When she removed the shells and sat them on the table, Kaliegh's eyes got as big as saucers. Taker entered the kitchen and noticed the boxes on the table.
"Are you at war?" He asked, his eyes serious as they met hers.
"We been found out! There's been a man asking questions about me." She said. The cold look in her eyes brought a chill to the others, as they wondered what she was going to do.
A car stopped just inside the driveway, as though getting ready to turn around and go back to town. The driver sat there a moment studying the layout of the property and as much of the house as he could see from there. With a satisfied smile, he backed out of the driveway and headed back to town. He'd be back around midnight.
*********
Kaliegh stared at Judy, then looked down at the ammo laying on the table.
"What do you mean...we've been found out?" Kaliegh asked, her voice rising hysterically.
"Mrs. Robertson, the owner of the store, told me that there was a man in this morning. Showed her pictures of you and I....asked all kinds of questions." Judy replied, her voice remaining eerily calm.
Kaliegh cussed under her breath as she sat down in a near chair. "Sounds like a detective to me."
"Well, it isn't the local Avon lady, I'll tell ya that much." Judy snapped as she started loading on of the rifles.
"What the--" Kaliegh said, gesturing toward the gun. "Judy, you aren't thinking about shooting the cops, are you?? You'll go to jail for sure. Besides, Taker said he'd take care of everything."
"The Hell with him." Judy said with venom in her eyes. "He can't--" Judy stopped suddenly when Kaliegh's cell phone began to ring.
"Excuse me." Kaliegh said as she walked into the living room to take the call. As Kaliegh left the room, a heavy silence fell between Taker and Judy. Judy glared at Taker, daring him to say a word or to try and stop her from what she was doing.
-----------
Kaliegh listened as her mom told her of the most recent events, her fear rising by the second. It seemed her husband has escaped from jail while on work detail.
"Mom. are you sure it was him?" Kaliegh asked, her voice filled with fear.
"I'm sorry, hon." Her mom said, knowing the terror her daughter must be feeling at this very moment.
"Well," Kaliegh said with a sigh. "Atleast he doesn't know where I'm at."
"I think he does...he took the liberty of calling me this morning and said something about mountains. Does that mean anything?"
"Oh my God...." Kaliegh whispered, the phone dropping from her hand.
Just then Taker walked into the living room, having gotten worried about her when he heard the phone drop to the hard cabin floor. He picked up the phone and spoke briefly to the the woman on the other end. After hearing what happened, Taker thanked Kaliegh's mom for calling and assured her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her daughter. Chewing his lip, Taker hung the phone and looked over at Kaliegh. Her eyes were wide open, but he suspected that she wasn't seeing anything. Finally after a long silence she spoke.
"I can't take this anymore, Taker. If he finds me, he'll surely kill me. He is THAT crazy."
Taker walked over to her. Putting a massive arm around his shoulder, he pulled her body close to his. He felt her tremble, and pulled her even tighter.
"Kaliegh, I promise you--" Taker started to say but was cut off when Judy suddenly burst into the living room. Her face was pale and lined with worry, but when she saw the sadness and fright in Kaliegh's eyes, she forgot about what she had just seen on TV.
"That was my mom on the phone. My husband escaped from jail yesterday. He made a call to her this morning and I don't know how...but somehow he knows where I'm at." Kaliegh said as she buried her head deep into Taker's chest..liking the feeling of the safeness there.
"Kaliegh, was your husband by chance jailed in the Iowa State Penn?" Judy asked, even though she already knew.
Kaliegh nodded yes, and then Judy asked her another question
"Did he happen to have eyes like Taker's?"
Kaliegh looked up at Taker, staring at his eyes a long time....When she finally realized what Judy was getting at, she began to shake violently
"Oh God, Judy....I'm so sorry." Kaliegh said as she began to cry uncontrollably.
"Now, don't ya go apologizing for something you had nothing to do with. It's not your fault your husband attacked me that night." Judy said trying to comfort the woman
"Damn!!" Kaliegh screamed the word as she broke out of Taker's arms. "Damn that man straight to Hell!" Then Kaliegh ran out of the room and out into the night.